Tell Me a Tale, Gentle Turian
by KiwiDayDreams
Summary: Kasumi is sick with a cold so Garrus pays her a visit on Shep's behalf. He discovers she owns a book that used to be his and offers to read it to her since she doesn't know turian. They gradually develop a bond during these nightly visits. Kasumi/Garrus
1. Lessons in Turian

NOTE: Any dialogue in [ ] is turian. Enjoy :)

* * *

><p>"Here ya go, Vakarian. It's my own, personal recipe. Thought you turians couldn't eat human food, though."<p>

Garrus gingerly took the bowl of Rupert's homemade chicken noodle soup in his hands. The smell was potent and it looked rather peculiar with the long bits of pale food with the chunks of meat in it. Humans certainly seemed to have a fondness for whatever these noodle things were. There always seemed to be someone eating them whenever he came to the mess. Sometimes they were accompanied by greens, by red paste, and others they were just served in broth. He glanced up from studying the contents of the bowl at Gardner's comment.

"Oh, it's not for me. Shepard asked me to take this to Kasumi," he clarified. "Apparently, it's good for curing colds?"

"Ah," Gardner replied with an acknowledging grunt. "Yeah. That's humanity for ya. We've jumped ages ahead in medicine and it still don't beat the good, old fashioned remedies.

"Does it actually work?"

"Depends on who ya ask. Some folks'll swear by it. Others will tell ya that it's all in yer head. If you believe it'll work, it'll work." Garrus nodded a little, understanding. There wasn't a whole lot of logic behind it but he knew a few turians who had their own home remedies, none nearly so pleasant as eating a home cooked dish to cure an illness. The soup didn't look like anything special and Garrus doubted that Gardner was a shaman during his off-time so it wasn't likely that it held any medicinal herbs.

But if Shepard said it would help, he believed it would help, no matter how purely sentimental the thought behind it seemed to be. He turned and walked carefully so as not to spill the dish as he padded along towards the thief's quarters. When he reached her door, he waited until EDI announced his presence and Kasumi authorized his entry before heading in.

He had never been in her room before, but all-in-all his initial feeling was one of charm. There was something about it that was comfortably casual and mellow. He also sort of envied the incredible view. Once his eyes had finished giving the room an appraising once-over, they fell to Kasumi herself. She was snuggled up on one of the couches near the window, wrapped up in a blanket with a stack of books on the seat adjacent to her. One was nestled in lap as she passed the time and tried to clear her foggy head by reading.

"Well. It's not often I have you as my guest, Garrus," she said cheerfully. Her normally smokey voice was marred by the congestion in her throat and chest. She also sounded a little more nasal than normal. "I'm sorry I'm not in a better state."

"That's okay," Garrus replied, walking gracefully over to her. "Shepard said you weren't feeling well. She told me this might help." He held out the bowl to her and she set the book down to receive it. Her hands cupped about the dish and she lifted it to smell the soup. A smile crawled over her plush, painted lips, and she let out a comforted sigh. Garrus noted her contented body language and supposed there might truly be something to this whole soup thing.

"Mmm. Thank you. It's not quite ramen, but it smells delicious. Gardner's cooking has really improved as of late."

"They serve that on the Citadel now," Garrus recalled. "Ramen. I think I smelled it once before when we passed by."

"Yes," she smiled and gracefully spooned up some of the noodles into her mouth. "Reminded me a bit of home. I haven't been there in a long while."

"Is it much different from the soup?"

"Hmm." Kasumi made the thoughtful noise around another spoonful. "The ingredients are different. The noodles and the foods served with them are usually more specific to a certain region of Earth. If you ask me, it tends to be a lot more robust." Garrus nodded, letting his eyes really study her for the first time while she spoke. This was the first time he had seen her without her field garb on. With the hood gone he could see the long black hair that spilled down her shoulders like a silken shadow, longer than Shepard's. Her eyes were visible, too, though they spoke clearly of how tired she felt due to her cold. He gave a passing glance over the books beside her and found himself doing a double take. Smack in the middle of the ancient looking books he spotted something strangely familiar.

"May I?" he asked, the picture of politeness as he gestured to the small library keeping her company.

"Sure," she replied, setting her spoon aside to finish off the broth by drinking it directly from the bowl.

Garrus bent down and set the books aside one by one as he made his way to the one that had caught his attention. Most of these tomes looked extremely well-worn and he was certain that tender care was the only thing that had stopped them from falling apart over the years. When he came upon the small book with the blue cover it was obvious that it was not nearly so old, but it had been exactly what he suspected. Hesitantly, he reached out and picked up, turning it over in his hands a few times before daring to crack it open.

Kasumi had taken a keen interest in his actions during the last few minutes, and she tilted her head curiously as he watched his expression turn to disbelief. At least, that's what she supposed it was. Turians were a little hard to interpret at times, much like their written language.

"I've never been able to read that one," she admitted. "I rather like the pictures, though."

"Where did you get this?" he asked quietly as his gaze seemed to fixate on the inner cover.

"Believe it or not, I actually bought it fair and square," she chuckled, wrapping her arms about her knees. "From a traveling merchant on the Citadel who specialized in used goods. Most of it was rubbish, but this looked interesting. I thought, maybe, I could use it to learn the language some day. Haven't exactly had time for it, though."

Garrus' mandibles shifted against his jaw a little.

"This used to be mine."

"I'd begun to suspect," the thief smiled. "A gift, I suppose, given the writing on the cover?"

"Yeah," he said with a low, rumbling tone. "My...uhm... My mother. She gave it to me right before I joined the military. Sort of a going away present." He flipped through a few pages absently. "I thought it was kind of silly at the time." Kasumi didn't ask why. Something in the way the turian's eyes regarded this book told her it was something of great personal value. He had not thought so at the time he received it, but it was apparent that those feelings had changed upon being reunited with it. It was amazing how a few years could change someone and put so many seemingly small things into perspective.

"What's it about?" she asked instead. Garrus glanced over at her and then back at the book.

"To be honest, I never read it...," he replied. "Never thought I'd find time."

"Well, you must have some time now," she spoke softly and he tilted his head to the side in a small shrug.

"I suppose so..." Truthfully, calibrating the thanix cannon didn't take that much of his time at all. He just liked to use it as an excuse when he didn't feel like talking. Other times he got kind of bored in the forward battery and he was running out of games to play on his omnitool to pass the time. "You know..."

"Hm?" Garrus fiddled with the book for a second and looked at the petite Japanese woman again. "On Palaven, our parents used to tell us stories when we were sick. We were never really allowed to do much, so it was something to look forward to when we were stuck indoors. I know it helped me feel better."

"I could see that. I love a good story," Kasumi said, her eyes taking on a mischievous glint.

"I could read this to you...if you want," Garrus offered. He sounded a tad shy saying it, something unusual for the turian. Kasumi found it positively adorable.

"I would love that. Then I can say I know every detail of these books cover to cover." Reaching over she pushed the books aside to make room for the turian to sit beside her. He turned and sat, finding the couch rather comfortable despite how angular it looked. There wasn't a whole lot of human furniture that could properly accommodate Garrus' alien anatomy, but this was probably the closest he'd gotten. Kasumi curled herself around and placed one arm on the back of the couch with her head on her hand, close enough to see but far enough to be polite.

"It had been three long and treacherous nights since Relak had been forced to spill his enemies' blood," Garrus began.

"Exciting already," Kasumi grinned. "I like it. Read on."

* * *

><p>Garrus had made it through the first three chapters of the book before Kasumi finally gave in and nodded off beside him. Her eyes had been fluttering closed though the last twenty pages, though she insisted she was perfectly awake and told him to keep reading. He had been absorbed in the first couple pages of chapter four before he realized she wasn't listening anymore. Closing the book gingerly he shifted slow and cautious to rise from the couch without disturbing her.<p>

On his way to the door, he paused and wondered if he should leave the book there rather than take it with him. There really wasn't a lot of places in the forward battery where he could store it safely and Kasumi seemed to take good enough care of the things in her room. He felt hesitant at first, not wanting to be parted from the book a second time, but eventually decided it was for the best. Taking his steps as soft as he could, he returned the book to its place with the others beside her.

Kasumi had tucked her head against her arm on the back of he couch and her hair fell in such a way her face was entirely hidden. Garrus still found human hair kind of strange. It didn't seem to serve any purpose other than to be aesthetically pleasing. Originally, he had not even known it could get so long. Most the human females he had seen had short hair like Shepard or wore it in tight knots on their heads. Miranda had been an exception, though her hair was not as straight as Kasumi's, nor did it have the same sheen. Admittedly, he'd found the way the light played off it a bit distracting while reading, spying it out of the corner of his eye. Going off humanity's affinity for shiny things alone, he supposed that might be why they found hair so appealing.

Without really thinking about it, Garrus pinned the edge of the blanket between his talons and pulled it up over Kasumi's shoulders before bending over her to retrieve the used dishes. He cringed a bit when the spoon rattled against the edge of the bowl, eyes darting to her to see if she'd noticed. She hadn't appeared to stir, so he clamped his claws around the spoon and pulled back before heading for the door.

"Don't be a stranger, Garrus," Kasumi spoke sleepily. He glanced over his shoulder at her, but she still had her eyes closed and head on her arm. "I still need to know how Relak escapes the prison." Garrus' jaw fell slack a moment and then he simply nodded before taking his leave.

* * *

><p>Shepard showed up right on time the following day after they had returned from being planet side. Garrus found she liked to make rounds with her crew after every mission, get their feedback, make sure they were doing well, or just idly chit-chat. It wasn't something he'd been used to when he originally joined her, but he easily warmed up to the idea of a Commander who actually gave a shit what he thought and genuinely wanted his opinion on things. Today's conversation was one of the more casual kind, and she sat in her usual corner of the room which she plainly had designated as 'her' spot.<p>

"I swear I could see his face when that shot pinged right off his shoulder plate," she laughed, wiping her eyes. That was another strange thing about humans – sometimes they looked like they were crying while they were laughing. Very confusing, mixed signals, Garrus thought. "He looked like he pissed himself."

"Yeah," he chuckled, remembering. "I can't believe he actually dropped his gun and started running. I mean, really."

"Eh, that's a merc for ya," Shepard shrugged. "People don't even seem to bother checking out who they hire anymore."

"Not much to know. If there's anything I learned on Omega it's that most mercs tend to be at least one of three things: killers, thieves, or painfully green."

"Speaking of thieves. How was Kasumi doing?" Shepard asked, leaning on her knees.

"Definitely sick, though I think the soup helped."

"Told you," she grinned. "Thanks for taking that in, by the way. I would have if I hadn't been up to my eyeballs in reports."

"No problem. It was actually kind of fun." Shepard paused.

"What was fun?"

"What? Oh. We talked for a bit. She had a book that used to belong to me. I read some of it to her." Shepard's expression gradually turned amused. "What?"

"You read her a _bedtime story_?"

Garrus stared at her blankly for am minute or two before replying, "She can't read turian."

"Well, awww, you big soft-hearted hard-ass, you." She'd risen to give a playful punch to his arm. Garrus set his jaw firm.

"You don't have to make a big deal about it," he said, giving a hefty sigh and a dismissive shrug of his shoulders. Shepard rested her hands on her hips.

"Sorry, I just think it's really sweet of you. What book?"

"A fiction novel about a rogue turian named Relak."

"Ah ha, that sounds like something she'd enjoy," Shepard chuckled. "Though I'm surprised you finished an entire novel in one evening."

"We didn't. She fell asleep," he replied, shifting from foot to foot restlessly.

"That's too bad. I'm sure she would have liked to know how it ended. It's probably best she gets her rest, though."

"Well, I planned on finishing it." Shepard brought her fingers to her mouth in an awkward attempt at muffling the smile returning there. Garrus, however, was not an idiot, and what he couldn't see on her mouth he could see clearly in her eyes.

"Come on, Shepard, you don't need to look at me like that. I can't leave her hanging. I don't do things half-assed." He studied her a moment and then leaned in. "And don't you go telling anyone about this. Especially the Yeoman."

"Right, of course," Shepard hummed, holding out her hands defensively and taking on less teasing air. "My lips are sealed."

"Shake on it." Shepard rolled her eyes and then reached out to bump fists with him, slap the back of their hands together and then grip his hand firmly. This was really more her thing than his, and he'd found it amusing the first time they'd done it. There was a great deal of camaraderie in the human gesture and he knew it was something Shepard wouldn't back out on. When it came to things like these she could swear backwards and forwards and promise to behave, but it was the shake that made it solid. He knew she hated it when he remembered because she really did like to tease people.

"You'll have to lend me this book when you're done. It's so hard to find good literature these days."

"Sure," he chuckled and then scrunched up his nose at the sly look she was giving him.

"Do I get a bedtime story, too?" she cooed and then promptly ran for the door when he advanced on her, cackling the whole way. Garrus shifted and adjusted his armor, shaking his head at her nonsense. What could he say, though? It was that nonsense that made her the best damn Commander and real honest friend he'd ever had.

* * *

><p>Kasumi liked to think that she wasn't someone people could easily decipher. As a thief, there was a certain amount of mystique she liked to maintain. At the moment, however? She just felt plain terrible, and it showed on every inch of her face. She had woken with a throbbing headache, and whenever she made an attempt at moving too much she found the world spinning. Dr. Chakwas had been kind enough to send some helpful meds her way, though she couldn't say she had much of an appetite after taking them.<p>

She hadn't been surprised when the turian arrived at her quarters almost precisely at the same time he had the night before. She only wished she was in better shape to be proper company. When he entered, she was leaning on the bar willing her head to stop whirling. She heard the clicking of his talons across the floor approaching her.

"Are you alright?" his tone came quiet and rumbling.

"In the most general sense? Yes," she said, offering a small chuckle. "I was just getting a glass of water and I got a little lightheaded."

"I can come back another time if you aren't feeling well enough," he offered.

"No, it's okay," Kasumi insisted. "I'm not about to let a cold stop me from finding out what happens next. If I sit still I should be fine."

"Well, at least let me help you get to the couch," he said. Kasumi reminded herself not to nod a response as it would only make the vertigo worse.

"Sure." She waited for the turian to give her a hand or a shoulder to lean on to cover the short distance. Instead, she found herself being oh-so-carefully lifted into his arms and carried to to the sofa where he just as carefully placed her down.

"Good?" was all he said, attentive blue eyes bright even in the dim light.

"Yes," she smiled and watched him as he took his place beside her. "[Thank you]." Garrus looked up from his task of finding their spot in the book. He crooked an eyebrow plate when he realized what he had heard wasn't coming from his translator. Kasumi could tell the exact moment it hit him and smiled wider.

"Where did you learn that?"

"I picked it up yesterday. I was watching the words on the pages while you translated."

"Interesting. It was good, though. I could barely hear your accent."

"I'm usually pretty good with new languages," she said. "What should I have done differently?" Garrus set the book in his lap and appeared to consider it for a moment, as if trying to find the right terms.

"The syllable in the middle should come more from your throat." He tilted his jaw up and motioned to his own with his talon and proceeded to make a noise between a grunt and a growl. "Like that." Kasumi gave it a try, though her tone didn't resonate as much as a turian's might. It also didn't help that during her third try she began to cough. Covering her mouth with a baggy sleeve, she rode out the small fit and gratefully took the glass of water Garrus quickly retrieved for her.

"Maybe you should try it when you aren't ill," he said with a hint of of a laugh in his voice. Kasumi nodded her agreement. "It was very close, though." He settled back into his seat and opened the book once more. Kasumi finished her drink and wrapped her blanket about her shoulders, scooting in so she could see. "I think you fell asleep just as he was about to break out of the prison..."

"Not quite. I heard a bit after that...when he ran into Keyla."

"It was Reyla," Garrus chuckled, thumbing forward a few pages.

"Oh, fine," she said, flipping them back and wondering if her omnitool had glitched when she dozed off last night. "I could probably use a refresher, but this time I'm going to turn off my translator."

"You sure?"

"How else am I going to learn anything?" She tapped her omnitool and raised her brows expectantly. Garrus shook his head a little and proceeded to reread the end of chapter four. Kasumi concentrated on the book, following his pronunciation closely. The raw turian language was a baffling mixture of gruff throaty noises coupled with melodious tones when spoken. It was a shame more people didn't speak it, Kasumi thought, because while their multi-tonal voices were enchanting in Earth languages, they were all the more intriguing when spoken native. Sometimes it was difficult not to just sit and listen to the inflections in Garrus' narration.

"Wait, right here," she stopped him and pointed as she heard him distinctly say ''Keyla' as the female turian entered the scene. "Say that again."

"[Reyla]."

"You just said Keyla," she said.

Garrus began to rumble with a deeply rooted laugh. His mandibles spread a little from his jaw and he shook his head, repeating. "[Reyla...Rrreyla.]" He tapped his throat again with a talon as he drew out the sound. "[Reyla.]" Kasumi watched him, perplexed, but equally amazed. The way he was forming the consonant in his throat, the way it echoed, made it sound like he was saying both letters at the same time. It almost came out as a low clicking noise. He seemed to find her immense interest entertaining. "[Kasumi]."

"Was that my name?" He nodded. "It sounded like Razuni." Garrus gestured in a circular motion to the front part of his mouth, and then tapped it before pointing at her. Kasumi tapped her own lips and then realized what he was conveying and grinned.

"No lips. Right." He lifted the book and waggled it as a silent question and she nodded. "[Reyla]. Continue."

It was soon revealed that Relak and Reyla had known each other from numerous previous encounters. They never stayed in each other's presence for long, but it was obvious, or at least Kasumi thought so, that they were harboring affection for one another. It was a great deal like her relationship with Keiji when they first met. She gently pushed the memory aside to enjoy the the story on its own. She also didn't want to spoil it for Garrus who seemed pleasantly content in his role, voice soothing and utterly captivating.

They made much more progress that night with the turian occasionally asking her to read a bit of dialogue or a couple of sentences. Kasumi enjoyed the challenge wholeheartedly and discovered that Garrus was actually a very patient and encouraging teacher. They probably looked a little silly making all those guttural noises at each other every time she requested that he correct her, but he didn't seem to mind so neither did she.

With little beyond their omnitools to help them determine the time of the night, they quickly lost track of time. Garrus gave in to his weariness mere moments before the thief did. They both had strained to keep their eyes open with commendable effort, but it was a lost cause. Garrus' head soon lolled forward onto his chest with the book still laying loosely in his grasp. Kasumi's arm was still propped at the back of the couch, the hand resting on the turian's shoulder easily serving as a pillow for her cheek.

* * *

><p>He didn't know how long he'd been there, or how long they'd been like this, but when Garrus woke to the beeping of his omnitool he was a bit startled that he wasn't in his own room. At some point during their impromptu nap, he'd lolled over to his side on the couch while Kasumi had stretched out in the opposite direction in front of him. She had her face crammed into one of the pillows, though he apparently decided that her hip worked just fine for him. Slowly, he reached up to grip the back of the couch to push himself up, willing his omnitool to stop making so much noise. Once he had scooted down the couch away from Kasumi, he answered.<p>

"Yes, Shepard?"

"Geez, there you are! What took you so long?"

"I was asleep," he said, rubbing at his sleep-glazed eyes.

"Since when do you sleep? And since when do you sleep in Kasumi's room?" she rattled.

"We fell asleep reading."

"Uh huh."

"Enough. What's up?"

"You told me you wanted to go to come with me to the Citadel markets the next time we were there. Well, we're there."

"Right," he said, getting to his feet. "I'll be right out." He made it a point to close the communication before Shepard decided to start taunting him again. She'd honestly been spending way too much time with Joker these days and he was certain she was starting to pickup the pilots bad habits. On his way out he glimpsed Kasumi one more time. She had taken full advantage of the open space and promptly sprawled over it, one of her feet on the back of the couch and one arm hanging off the edge.

He gave a breath of a chuckle before he took his leave.


	2. Close to Home

"Let's see... Got Gardner's supplies... Got my armor mods... Pretty sure I have the latest model kit... Garrus, what are you doing?"

"What?" Garrus didn't bother to even give Shepard a glance as he paid the vender. Shepard stood silent and glanced between them a few times before deciding to speak again.

"Well... I was going to say you know you can't eat that...," she tilted her chin towards the container of ramen he'd just purchased. "But that's not for you, is it?"

"Of course not," he said. "I know what food I can eat, Shepard." His Commander leaned on the counter and drummed her fingers, watching the turian.

"How's she doing?"

"Fine. Better every day. She's picking up turian really well."

"She's picking up _**a **_turian, that's for sure." Shepard couldn't help but give a crooked smile.

"Pardon?"

"Oh, nothing. You know what, though? You should get this, too." She reached over and picked up a bottle from the selection on the counter. "Hell, I'll get it for you." Garrus blinked a couple of times and then looked warily at the gift when she held it out to him.

"What is it?"

"Sake. It's Japanese alcohol. It'll be a great addition to her bar. Go on." She wiggled the bottle at him and he finally took it in his hand. "Geez, Garrus, you don't need to look so awestruck. I can be nice sometimes."

"Thank you," he said. "And I know that. You've just been kind of particularly full of it lately."

"I'm your friend, Garrus. I'm supposed to give you hell sometimes."

"Maybe," he conceded, though his tone was flat, expression equally unamused. Shepard slapped him on the back to get them both walking again.

"Really, I think it's good that you've gotten away from those damned calibrations. It's good for you, and it's good for her, too. She doesn't get a lot of company. Except me, but I visit everyone."

"A lot," he added and Shepard nudged him with her elbow.

"You're lucky you're cute, Vakarian," she huffed. "Did you finish the book?"

"Not yet. Still a few more chapters to go."

"Sounds like you've got your evening planned then, hm?"

"Maybe."

"Garrus...," she said with a click of her tongue. "You have _ramen _in your hand."

"I just thought she might like it. It might help her feel better." Shepard looked at him pointedly as they paused their stroll through the Presidium.

"Garrus, I don't think I've ever seen you so damn content. In the last couple days you've actually looked, dare I say it, _happy_."

"Is it so strange for me to enjoy myself?"

"Yes," she replied bluntly. "As far as I can tell, when you're not taking head shots you're entirely absorbed in your calibrations – which, by the way, Tali tells me really shouldn't be taking that long. But all that aside, I'm just saying that you don't even seem to notice what this time with Kasumi has done for you."

Garrus fell silent, rolling Shepard's words around in his head. He gave her a puzzled look, his mandibles fluttering against his jawline once or twice. Shepard tilted her head to the side with a small roll of her eyes before patting him on the shoulder.

"Don't think on it too hard. It'll make sense later, I promise." Garrus nodded, and followed Shepard back to the docking bay in thought, despite her advice. What was she playing at, he thought. If she was insinuating that he was attracted to a human she was sorely mistaken. He'd never been into that sort of thing, not that he'd ever really thought about it, mind you. In the long run he decided to dismiss her hinting altogether because all it did was confuse him further. It was Shepard being Shepard, and she was always a quandary and a half on her own.

* * *

><p>He was just caring for a sick friend, he insisted to himself as he headed to Kasumi's quarters for the third night in a row. It wasn't a crime to enjoy someone's company, and it didn't necessarily mean there was more to it. Humans just read too damn far into everything, made a mountain out of a...smaller mountain, or however that saying went.<p>

"[Welcome, Dear-One]." He stopped abruptly as soon as he was in the door and saw Kasumi walk past with the greeting. She wasn't wrapped up in her bedding today, and her voice sounded much clearer. She padded about the room in a set of finely embroidered deep purple pajamas, humming an unknown tune.

"Ah," Garrus said, shaking the clouds from his head. "That's a pretty affectionate term, you know." She walked up and stood before him, their – that is – _his_book in her hands. Her eyes looked a great deal more vibrant today, too.

"Is it inappropriate? Is there a better term?" she asked.

"Well, it's a rather familiar name," he said, glancing away from her.

"For lovers?" she asked directly, her brows raising and mouth curving playfully. "I thought that was [fire of my heart]? That's what Relak called Reyla." Garrus' head snapped back to her and he stared at her widely in the soft light of her quarters.

"[Dear-One] is fine," he decided quickly. She smiled more openly now and gave a bow of her head.

"As you are. Shall we, then?" Turning gracefully on her heel she headed for the couch. He nodded and followed, cursing Shepard for putting all these thoughts in his head. Now he was just being awkward. He only hoped it wouldn't ruin his visit, that he wouldn't be preoccupied by the all those foolish, human notions.

"Do you want to start or should I?" she asked as he sat beside her. He found himself distracted by the paint on her face he normally couldn't see due to her hood. He had seen the markings on her lips, but there were other faint shapes about her eyes. Since when did humans paint their faces like that? "What a lovely smell."

At her words Garrus regained himself and held out the package he'd brought to her. Kasumi set the book aside and took it delicately, opening it with a curious gleam in her eyes.

"Oh, I knew it smelled familiar," she smiled and retrieved the takeout bowl. "And dare I say...?" She lifted the lid and sniffed inside before removing it entirely. "It's one of my favorite kinds." Garrus felt a sense of relief and warmth swell through him, happy he'd made a good choice. She cupped the bowl of ramen in her hands which rested in her lap as she granted him a gentle look. Garrus returned the gaze until the silence began to itch at him and he eventually glanced away. "Garrus."

"Yes?" he asked.

"I really must thank you."

"You don't have to."

"Yes, I really do," she replied. "You've done a great deal for me in the past couple days. I've really enjoyed having your company."

"I've enjoyed yours, too, Kasumi," he admitted, finally forcing himself to look at her directly again. Doing so made him realize it may have been a mistake, because he was quickly transfixed and not sure he could avert his eyes again.

"I'm not sure I can really convey what it's all meant to me. I've tried writing some haikus, but I just can't find the words."

"What's a haiku?" he asked, glad for a less anxious subject to distract himself with.

"Japanese poetry. And it's usually an excellent outlet for expressing oneself. Just not today, it seems." She bowed her head and appeared to stare deep into the bowl of her favorite homemade meal. "Perhaps I'm being a bit sentimental..." She smiled lightly and looked out the window at the expanse of stars. "I've been accused of being so before... but it's like... In these last couple of days I've felt so..."

"...at home...," Garrus finished for her. It hadn't come as a question, or as a suggestion, but as though he were merely stating a fact. The corner's of Kasumi's mouth quirked and widened her smile only briefly before it became soft again.

"Yes," she agreed. Garrus dipped his head and scratched at his jaw with a single talon.

"Your ramen is getting cold."

"Ah, right," she said, reaching once more into the bag to retrieve the strange stick-things that chef had handed him. Unable to help himself, Garrus watched curiously as she deftly took them between her fingers and scooped a few noodles between them.

"I thought you used a fork for that." Kasumi took a moment to guide the ends of the noodles as cleanly as possible into her mouth.

"Sometimes. This is more of a tradition where I come from." Garrus nodded with tenuous understanding and picked the book up off the couch. He found the correct page and set himself to the task of reading, allowing it to put him at ease. Kasumi scooted in beside him with her treat in her hands, apologizing quietly when she knocked elbows with him. He pretended he hadn't noticed and just focused on Relak and his current troubles.

* * *

><p>The chopsticks and ramen bowl sat empty when Kasumi began to shed silent tears. Her face pressed against her sleeves more than once in an attempt to hide them. Garrus might have attributed the gestures to the remnants of her cold ailing her except for the fact he could feel her small frame shudder against his side every now and again. He would have lied if he said Relak's sacrifice hadn't moved him, but it seemed to have a much bigger affect on her. The turian in the story had endured numerous rounds of torture, disfiguring and scarring him because he wouldn't betray Reyla to the corrupt General. Reyla, who had escaped his clutches, had just infiltrated the camp and was speaking to her lover through the cell wall. She could not yet see the extent of the wounds he'd endured for her.<p>

"Kasumi...?" Garrus paused to ask. "Are you okay?"

"Yes...," she said. Her voice sounded steady, though she took a deep breath and brushed her hands over her cheeks. "Forgive me. What she said... It was just so lovely."

"Which part?" The thief leaned into him to look at the book and skimmed the page.

"[However you appear now, it matters not to me. You ignited this life in me, my love. You are my soul, my very breath, and even if you become alien to my eyes my heart will love you all the same.]" Garrus let out a deep breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.

"All the same...," he echoed her narration quietly and closed his eyes. "_Spirits..._"

"I know," she breathed. "Just...beautiful."

Feeling his insides flutter, Garrus dared to turn his gaze Kasumi's way. She was just brushing a length of her long black tresses over a shoulder and out of her face. He caught the scent of spices, reminiscent of broths and herbs back on Palaven. No doubt his expression must have been a sight, because Kasumi tilted her head in a questioning way when she noticed it.

"Everything alright, Garrus?" she asked, just faintly rolling the turian 'r's in his name. It seemed to come without a thought and it made his hands start to tingle.

"Do you mind if we stop here?" he asked, surprised at how distant he felt from his own voice. It was as if he was hearing someone else talk.

"Not at all," she replied, moving to take hold of the open book. The motion brought her closer to Garrus, and he instinctively reacted by leaning away and unintentionally holding the book out of her reach. Kasumi paused with her arm outstretched and looked at him, eyebrow quirking. Garrus realized what he had done and quickly shuffled the book into her hands, scrambling off the couch and adjusting his shirt a few times.

With an ever present air of calm, Kasumi reached into the back cover of the book and extracted the silken piece of cloth she'd been using as a bookmark and moved it to save their place. That done, she rose to her feet and approached the turian, who had taken to pacing about her room in a rather frantic manner. She stood and watched him for a few brief moments before lightly resting her hand on his arm when he moved by her again. He stopped abruptly and looked at her with a glint of panic in his eyes.

"Breathe, Garrus," she said and he exhaled deeply. The thief stepped around in front of him fluidly, her fingers gliding over his forearm and grasping his hand gently. The other moved to enclose it between both of hers, and for a second, when he locked eyes with her again, his talons began to return the gesture. "Just breathe..." Garrus was at a loss for words, feeling himself draw deep, tremulous breaths only to dispel them whenever she asked. His chest started to ache with a furious heartbeat.

Before he realized she had moved, her fingertips were at the scarred tissue of his cheek and mandible. They never quite made full contact, light enough to make him question whether or not she was touching him at all.

"If you need to go, I'll understand," she said. The words made him feel guilty because they spoke nothing but the truth. Everything in him told him to turn and run, fast and far, but something somewhere deep beneath that begged him to stay. Kasumi's tone and expression were unreadable aside from exactly what she'd expressed – understanding.

"Thank you." Had he said it, or just thought it, he wasn't sure. All he knew was that the places where she touched him faded cold as he turned and exited maybe just a little to quickly. He strode down the hallway, growling and feeling disappointed and frustrated with himself. Yes, he'd acted on his fear. She had even told him it was okay, but damnit, how could he have been so selfish? Never mind everything and anything that was or wasn't going on between them, he had just walked out on her. He hadn't even told her goodnight...or even goodbye.

Spirits, it just didn't make any sense...

No, it made perfect sense.

He and Kasumi had never shared many words with one another and on the battlefield it was all passing banter. He'd known little about her beyond that Cerberus hired her, that she was a master thief, and that he never really saw her often on the Normandy.

She kept to herself in that quiet, softly lit room, just like he spent countless hours in the forward battery rather than socializing with the crew. She was swift, precise, and silently deadly...just like he was. But she was no turian, and he didn't... Garrus squeezed his eyes shut and backed up to the wall, sliding down to sit on the floor. In his head, Kasumi's voice in damn near perfect turian resounded with the words from the novel.

_….even if you become alien to my eyes my heart will love you all the same..._

He rested his hands on his knees and tilted his head back against the wall, vaguely wondering what his mother was thinking when she'd bought him that book. Was this some coincidental or entirely intended bit of advice for him? His mother had always worried about him; _too _much he'd often told her. As he grew older and followed the steps his father laid out for him, she supported her mate but fervently insisted that Garrus not allow himself to grow into a jaded soldier with nothing else on his mind besides war.

She wanted him to settle down some day; have a family...have children. Shepard had said that her mother had told her the same thing, but she was having none of it. Their species weren't so different in that respect, with mothers that 'only wanted the best' for their babies. Mama Vakarian could be just as meddlesome as he imagined Mama Shepard had been.

But she just wanted him to be happy, she had said. The words written in her graceful motherly handwriting on the inside of that book reminded him of that.

_Believe in what you feel.  
>Trust in who you are.<br>Accept that not everything makes sense.  
>Know that it eventually will.<em>

_And just like what's written in these pages._  
><em>Know that those that love you truly will also love you forever.<em>

_Take care of yourself, my little chirpling._  
><em>And come home safe and sound.<em>

* * *

><p>Garrus tried many times to return to Kasumi's quarters, but he kept falling short of making it to her door. He would head in the right direction with all the right intentions and just a few feet away he would decide he had to be elsewhere. He wasn't surprised that he hadn't seen her around, she was highly skilled at stealth after all, but that didn't make him feel any better.<p>

If Shepard had noticed his melancholy change of attitude, she didn't say anything about it. For that, he was grateful. Sometimes he hoped she might mention it, but then quickly dismissed the idea. The last thing he wanted was other people involved in his problems. Chances are a second or twentieth opinion would only confuse him further.

He'd been browsing the extranet a lot the past few days during the time he had usually taken for his readings with the thief. He researched humans and their culture, the Japanese colonies in particular. Pictures and vids of dark haired, fair skinned females dressed in elegant robes did little but remind him of her. Even the way the performers moved: slow, practiced, and gently enchanting, made him think of the all-too-brief caress on his jaw.

The latest trip to Omega had been as cheery as always for Arcangel and he was both frustrated and put at ease that they thought he was dead. On one hand, it meant no one would come looking for him, and on the other, it meant the criminals thought they'd won. It didn't matter. He had bigger wars to wage, and the petty criminals were nothing in comparison.

He set his sniper rifle against the wall as he returned to what may as well have been his room. His eyes roamed tiredly over the console, and then flickered back when he noticed something different today. In the middle of the holopad was a small, folded piece of paper tied carefully with a strip of thin, shiny fabric. Garrus' heart lept into his throat as he reached out tentatively to pick it up in his talons. He undid the ribbon and opened the delicate message.  
><em><br>_A tale unwritten  
>Pulsing flame, growing within<br>Rapt, how will it end?_  
><em>


	3. Fire of My Heart

Garrus closed his eyes and then read Kasumi's poem once or twice more. He wasn't exactly an expert on poetry, much less that of alien cultures, but he had a feeling he knew exactly what this meant. Kasumi sounded like she was standing on the same ground he was, uncertain about what exactly this was between them. Could she have been equally troubled by all this or, at least, just as confused? She had not acted like the thought of him bothered her at all. It pained him to think that she might have interpreted his leaving as a bad sign, but she had said she would understand and he really and truly hoped she meant that.

The question was, what now? Despite her lovely note – he read it one more time – he was at a loss for what to do. He didn't know what was appropriate when it came to expressing affection to a human or what might or should come after that. Actually _asking_ a human would probably be the best course of action because the extranet was useless for anything viable. There was a decent amount of human females on the Normandy, but he wasn't familiar with most of them. That only left one person he could ask with a minimal amount of embarrassment.

As she had an uncanny habit of doing, Shepard was in the right place at the right time outside his door when he exited the battery. He blinked at her in surprised and hastily stowed the paper away in the collar of his armor before she noticed he had it.

"Oh, hey, Garrus," Shepard greeted, rather cheerful. "I was just going to come see you."

"What for?" he asked.

"I'm treating Joker to a drink at the Dark Star Lounge and thought it might do you some good to get out and relax."

"Treating, hm?" he thought aloud. "What did he beat you at this time?"

"Nothing," she replied, simply. When Garrus' eyes remained trained on her she shrugged up her shoulders and gave him a grimace. "Skyllian-Five. It made no sense, Garrus! I kick ass at that game but that damn pilot... I swear he's hiding cards under his ass because he thinks I won't check there!"

"That'd be a sight and a half," he chuckled lightly. "But I don't know, Shepard. Honestly... I kind of wanted to talk to you."

"You talk to me all the time. You're coming. Go. Put on your civvies!" She waved her hands at him.

"No, you talk to _me _all the time. This is important. I-"

"Can it wait for a minute? I'm in the middle of another game with Joker. We'll talk at the bar, okay? Hurry up, now!" She marched away so fast Garrus wasn't given time to protest. When she set her mind to something there was just no way to get around it, he thought. He really needed to get her advice or this was going to drive him crazy. If he needed to go pretend to have fun at a bar to do that, then fine, he could play along. Turning on his heel he headed to go change out of his armor.

* * *

><p>Shepard and Joker seemed to have plenty to say to each other the entire way to the bar so there was never an opportune moment for Garrus to pull his Commander aside. He only partly listened to them and their back-and-forth, which seemed to consist of a lot of playful taunting. At one point, Shepard even stole the pilot's cap and put it on her head as she allowed him to wrap an arm about her shoulders for support. To anyone else they may have just looked like a very happy couple. Garrus watched them interact a bit and thought about how amusing it was that they were so familiar with each other despite not officially being mates. Another human trait, he supposed.<p>

The heady scent of the lounge hit him as soon as they walked in the door. It was a much nicer place than the ones on Omega in that the people inside weren't all packing weapons along with their questionable intentions. Shepard had just settled Joker into a vacant booth when Garrus decided to intercept her, grasping her arm.

"We'll be right back," he told Joker and pulled her away towards the bar. Shepard shook her arm from his grasp with a disgruntled expression, but followed him anyway. "Shepard, I _really_ need to talk to you."

"I gathered," she said, blandly and leaned on the counter. "This is about Kasumi, isn't it?"

"I..," he stumbled. "How did you know?"

"Because you're all flustered and she's right over _there_."

Garrus was just about to argue and insist that he was absolutely not flustered at all when the second half of what she said knocked him senseless. She was _here_? His eyes began to dart about the room looking for her as a frantic stab of panic filled his chest. He looked for the thief to be sitting somewhere in the bar in her pajamas until logic told him he aught to be looking for her in her uniform. It seemed that even that idea had been wrong because it still took him several minutes to zero in on her. In the long run he really had to hand it to her. She really _was_ good at hiding, even in plain sight.

He may have passed her over entirely except that their eyes locked once he'd found her. She wasn't wearing her thief garb, or her pajamas for that matter. She sat at a table tucked away in the corner, unassuming and still like some a beautiful statue or painting that you might just notice out of the corner of your eye. Her hair was down like it had been the past few days he'd seen her, loosely draped over one shoulder and bound at the end with ribbon that looked strikingly similar to the one from her note.

Despite the fact he was sure he could feel each stream of blood racing through his veins individually, chest and head pounding, he found himself heading towards her. He could barely sense his own movements and, suddenly, there he was at her table. And, oh thank the spirits for forgiving hearts like hers, she _smiled_ at him.

"Hello," she said warmly, hands folded in perfect poise on her knees. Garrus noticed she was wearing a collared dress made of a lovely blue silk with pictures of trees woven into the fabric. The blue was very reminiscent of his personal colors. He wondered if she had done it on purpose, or if she knew how much it flattered him.

"Hi," he said, shifting a little from foot to foot. "How have you been?"

"Very well," she said. "My cold is long gone – good riddance to it."

"That's good. It's...nice to see you looking more yourself."

"I have a very sweet turian to thank for that," she said, eyes smiling now. If Garrus had been human, he might have blushed then. As a hard plated turian all he could do was reach up and scratch at the edge of his mandible with a talon and bow his head. "Would you join me?" He nodded and slid into the booth next to her rather than taking the chair on the opposite side. It was likely a growing force of habit as he became used to sitting by her side while they read together. He still kept a polite and cautious amount of distance between them as he glanced up to see where Shepard had gone. She was back in the booth where they'd left Joker and Garrus was certain he'd caught them looking at him, though they quickly averted their eyes elsewhere once he saw them.

He gave a small, disgruntled huff.

"I take it Shepard invited you here, too," Kasumi said and Garrus looked at her with disbelief.

"She...?" he began and Kasumi simply nodded her head once. "I swear, that woman..."

"She is a character, I'll give her that. But I do believe in going with the flow and I can't say I mind where it's taken me so far."

Garrus leaned on the table and folded his hands.

"Did you know I'd be here?" he asked, curious to see if she had dressed up so nicely for any reason in particular.

"No. Though I had my suspicions."

"Well, you look nice. Blue looks good on you," he admitted.

"Thank you," she said softly. There came a tentative pause. "How are you, Garrus?"

The turian didn't answer right away, but leaned back against the cushioning of the leather seat. "I'm... trying to figure that out, honestly."

"Ah," she said. "Anything I can do the help?"

"If you could tell me how it is you're always so calm that might help." Truly, if Kasumi was really in the same position he was in, Garrus would have thought she would seem more...well, like he felt. She looked as though she couldn't have been more peaceful.

"Mmm, it's something I learned a long time ago. Can't exactly be stealthy if your hands are sweating and your heart is beating out of your chest," she pointed out. "But... I'll be honest with you... that's exactly what it's doing right now."

Garrus stared at her blankly for a couple of minutes, in awe of her personal control and then exhilarated by her admission. He was at a loss for what to say, tangled up between what would be proper and his own instinctive reactions. His whole body on edge and if he didn't do something soon he would be locked in this tortuous emotional loop forever. He could only guess what Kasumi was feeling, but there were subtle things that began to tell him that she was not quite as at ease as she first appeared. She hadn't changed her posture since he arrived, hands lain firmly on top of one another at her knees, fingers weaving between one another one way and then another. Occasionally, she tensed her fingers together as if holding on for dear life.

The turian's hand easily covered the two of hers, talons wrapping about them gently.

"We should go somewhere more quiet," he said, though she heard his voice easily over the thumping music surrounding them.

"What do you have in mind?"

* * *

><p>The Citadel had changed a great deal since he last remembered it, both security-wise and structurally. Garrus wondered if C-Sec had implemented better practices since he'd been gone, but since the Council was still in charge he highly doubted it. It didn't matter how good the officers or their motives were; they would likely get tied up in just as much red tape as he used to.<p>

C-Sec become a quickly passing thought, particularly considering his current company. He and Kasumi had abandoned the bar in favor of something a little more subdued, and if it was still around, Garrus knew just the place. Kasumi walked closely by his side, keeping up with his long turian strides with little to no effort at all. When he rounded a corner just past where the old entrance to the C-Sec Academy used to be he was greeted by a largely overgrown garden. The flora had apparently decided that now was the perfect time to reclaim some territory and Garrus took a second to figure out the best route up.

"It's a shame they've closed this off. It's actually quite lovely in that chaotic sort of way," Kasumi mentioned, noting how the branches and vines entwined themselves with bits of the partially destroyed building.

"Yes, chaos. The Council _loves _that," he chuckled, heading over to one of the sturdier looking walls and crouching. "Here." Kasumi smiled and walked over, taking the hint as she planted her foot into his cupped hands. He hoisted her up like she weighed almost nothing and she grasped at the branches wrapped against the wall to pull herself up the rest of the way. Once she had vanished onto the roof he followed her up.

"This is a gorgeous view," Kasumi said once he joined her, she settling down on the edge of the roof with her legs dangling over the edge.

"There was a lot less debris then, but I used to come here a lot when I was in C-Sec... Usually, when I had a lot on my mind." With a grunt he sat down beside her, letting his legs slip over the edge as well.

"Secluded, quiet, and peaceful... All my favorite things," she mused. "A good place." She looked at the turian beside her who was staring hard out over the Citadel lake before them. Gently, she lifted her hand and graced his scarred mandible with the back of a finger.

"Garrus." He tilted his head to look at her, pressing his cheek against her hand.

"What are you feeling, Kasumi? I can't tell...," he asked, sounding a little hopeless.

"Hmm," she hummed in that soothing way she did when she always did when she was considering something. "Garrus, did Shepard tell you about our agreement when I joined her crew?"

"Partially. She said something about you needed to retrieve a piece of hardware that used to be your partner's."

"It was his gray box; a neural implant that records someone's memories. Keiji was murdered and his graybox was stolen. Shepard helped me get it back. Every night since then, I have used it to revisit my memories with him. It's been difficult to let him go, to say the least." Garrus listened attentively, trying not to feel odd at the mention of this other, clearly beloved human. "The point is...that night you came to me... It was the first night that I didn't feel the need to use the graybox...and I still haven't since."

Garrus kept silent, unsure of what to say. Somewhere deep inside him he felt that pulse of warmth grow stronger, invigorating him. When he twisted at the waist and lay a hand just behind the thief on the roof, he found that she had lifted her dark eyes to him, her lips parted and expression almost childishly curious. A scant few inches between them they paused in simultaneous breathless puzzlement. Neither spoke a word, too afraid to shatter the moment as they tried to gauge the next move. After a moment, Garrus gave what Kasumi interpreted as a perfectly crooked turian smile given the glint in his eyes. His mouth opened with the slightest show of teeth as he gave a light chuckle. Kasumi felt herself smile, thoroughly amused at how lost she found herself for the first time in ages. She was usually so prepared for everything.

She watched the Turian close his eyes and lean close to give her forehead a gentle nudge of his boney crest. The gesture was something she had only seen once before, and had only recently read about in Garrus' book. The knowing was all that was needed to make her heart jump. Closing her eyes she gave a soft press of her forehead to his, not seeing, but hearing his small, almost startled intake of breath.

Without a second thought, she brought her hands to each of his mandibles and brushed her fingers there, very lightly cupping his face. With the smallest tilt of her head she pressed her lips to the flat, unfamiliar surface of his face where his upper mouth came to a point. Garrus froze, the feeling utterly peculiar but not entirely unpleasant. When she pulled away his mouth opened just a little in an attempt to say something quickly forgotten when she started to kiss him again. The motions were unhurried, tender, and deliberate against his jaw, the edge of his mandible, on his cheek and forehead. She'd moved to her knees now, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her face against the more vulnerable part of his neck. He shifted to return the embrace, arms looping just loosely around the curve of her waist.

He could feel Kasumi's breath come in a deep hush against his skin.

"I thought things would never be the same, Garrus," she said. "It's amazing what losing someone will do to you..."

"I know what you mean," he replied quietly, talons brushing against the dark strands of her hair.

"I'm not sure what turians would do," she said, gradually sitting back on her knees and looking at him. "I don't want to make anything awkward for you."

"I've done enough of that myself," he said jokingly. One of his hands moved to the collar of his tunic and withdrew her note. "And you've already got the right idea."

"Is that so?" she asked, that familiar playful look coming back to her face.

"Mmhmm. Traditionally, I should have been the one to give you a gift of affection first, but..." He drew out the word in that rumbling way she'd grown to love as he unfolded the paper. "I've never been a very good turian like that..."

"So... what's next?" she asked.

"I need to find a gift for you," he said.

"And what does the exchange mean?"

"It means that I'm going to stop being a stuttering idiot...," he hummed and Kasumi regarded him with amusement. "...and I'm going to realize what's right in front of for me for once." Pulling his legs up onto the roof he moved to his feet and offered her a hand up which she took smoothly. Once they were both upright, he brought her arm up and activated her omnitool to shut off her translator. That done, he rested his hands on her hips, which he discovered he rather enjoyed the shape of, and pulled the thief near.

"[I love you, Kasumi.]"

Kasumi could hardly believe herself, feeling so embarrassingly like it was the first time she'd ever been told such a thing. Well...it _was_ the first time she'd heard it...in turian. Still, she felt her face growing warm and bowed her head a little as her fingers wound up a little in the cloth of his tunic.

"[I love you, too... Garrus...Fire of my heart...]"

Garrus gave a small, low throaty sound which may have been a laugh or just a quiet noise of acknowledgment. Nonetheless, he pressed his forehead to hers again and closed his eyes.

"[Fire of my heart...]"


	4. Just a Touch

"What does that even mean?"

"It means exactly what it sounds like: cops and robbers," Shepard said, forming her hand into two finger guns and 'shooting' them at Garrus. She was in for one of her increasingly frequent visits hoping to get the latest gossip on what, exactly, was going on between her best friend and the master thief. So far, Garrus had been terrible about playing along. He kept his mouth clamped shut on the matter, and Kasumi had been no better. She sat in her quarters where Shepard always found her, that all-knowing smile on her face beneath the shadows of her hood. She conversed about anything and everything except Garrus and when Shepard blatantly brought him up she suddenly remembered she had something to do. It was eerily starting to sound a lot like a certain-someone's 'calibrations' excuse.

But Shepard was not blind and anything they weren't divulging to her was clear enough to see in the small things. The way he was always standing beside her during briefings, talons nudging her fingers when he thought no one was looking. How she stole glances at him, confident that no one could see her eyes in that blasted hood.

It was also hard to not notice the games they played out in the field. And they truly were playing. They'd started keeping count of their kills, and lightheartedly chiding each other when one stole a hit from the other. Kasumi enjoyed implementing a dangerous game of materializing right behind one of Garrus' targets, striking them dead just before his bullet flew past at literal breakneck speed. Shepard had heard him swear under his breath at her foolishness, but she also caught a hint of amused fondness to his words.

Currently, Shepard was trying to embarrass Garrus by mentioning the crew's pet name for he and Kasumi. It was not nearly so fun when she had to explain it to him, especially when it was so wonderfully perfect. True, Garrus was technically an ex-cop and Kasumi was a little more tactful and stealthy than your average 'robber', but that hardly mattered in the long run. The turian gave his Commander a somewhat stale expression.

"Sorry. I guess it must be a human thing," he said before returning to his work.

"Spoil sport," Shepard griped, getting up from her seat and pacing around behind him now. "Okay, okay. I'll stop with the questions and leave you alone if you just answer one thing." Garrus paused the tapping on the console and turned enough to face her, brow plates raising warily.

"Yeah?"

"Are things going well?"

"With Kasumi?"

"No, with your never ending calibrations – yes, Kasumi!" The turian ducked his head a little bit and then looked back up at Shepard, jaw slack.

"Well...yeah," he said softly. "We have a lot in common." He rolled his shoulders in a small shrug. "I never quite expected it...but it's...nice."

"Good," she said with a nod as she crossed her arms. Her fingertips tapped at her arms and she looked a little too deep in thought. When she opened her mouth again Garrus lifted a talon to stop her.

"You said one thing," he reminded her and she tilted her head to either side, begrudgingly acknowledging the fact. Seeing that she would get little more than this from him, she finally bid him goodnight and exited the battery. Garrus let out a cleansing breath and shook out the slightly edgy feeling from his limbs. It wasn't that Shepard made him nervous; they'd been through far too much together for that to be the case, but his new found relationship with Miss Goto had begun to make him feel like he was in an interrogation room all the time. Humans were just the incredibly inquisitive sort, especially when it came to romantic bonds. Some even seemed more interested in the relationships of others over their own. Strange as always.

* * *

><p>Strange...and exhilarating. That's what this was.<p>

Amongst all the things Kasumi had learned about turians in the last few months, one thing she noticed the most was that they were not a very verbal race. For all the growling and rolling of consonants she'd learned from Garrus, she found that words never really came in to play where it mattered. She'd always had a little trouble reading turian facial expressions, but she quickly discovered that it all came in at the eyes.

The eyes of turian warriors exuded a fiery, dangerous glint, a deep and stark contrast to the glances Garrus offered her from time to time. Though he could easily take on the same predatory stare, the look in his eyes grew softer for her; content and intrigued. Occasionally, the looks were accompanied by a brush of his talons, a flicker of his mandibles, or a relaxed shrugging of his shoulders. Kasumi truly adored these passing whispers of affection and was happy to leave it at that. Words were overrated and had the bad habit of being misunderstood and getting themselves all tangled up. They hadn't even spoken _those_ words since that evening on the Citadel and, truly, it didn't really seem to matter.

Her footsteps were ever soundless as she crept up to where he was waiting for Shepard to return from delivering a package. Even from behind she could tell he was very much alert. You could take Arcangel out of Omega, but there was little to be done trying to get the itch of Omega out of Arcangel. Kasumi played on his senses, drawing near to one side until he turned his head where she ducked into the shadow of his opposite shoulder. She played games like this with authority figures all the time and always found it to be very entertaining. In another time and another place, she might have toyed with him like this as thief against a turian officer. As it was, though... this was much more fun. A grin painted itself across her face, but, oh, she should have known better.

There was a reason the Garrus had survived so long on Omega; he learned the movements and reactions of those around him quickly. He had spent more time around the thief these days and instinctively took note of the way she moved. Deft like a flickering shadow, she was fast, lithe, and decidedly more...flexible than he recalled humans to be. Then again, she was not like the typical armored soldiers he was accustomed to, wrapped in smooth and pliant fabric more suited to her skills.

Garrus could easily see why she was the best thief in the galaxy, knowing quite well that she was there behind him but unable to precisely pinpoint where. The eerie feeling of being followed by something unseen crawled up his spine as he waited with talons flexing into his palms. It wasn't until he caught a distinctive scent that he moved, whirling and taking hold of her arms. He blinked a couple of times, for some reason surprised that she was actually there and not a figment of his overactive imagination. He watched her lips curve into a mischievous smile as she deflected his grip with one swift motion of her own hands.

And, suddenly, he was running after her.

He wasn't sure what had compelled him to give chase when she bolted away from him. Maybe it was something left behind from his days in C-Sec. Maybe it was the instincts of countless days as a vigilante or being part of Shepard's squad. Or, maybe, Kasumi just needed to be chased.

Ducking and dodging between the scattered customers in the market, he followed her down into the back allies. She didn't seem to be in too much of a hurry, striding just enough to allow him to get teasingly close before ducking around another corner. The thumping music of Afterlife grew louder overhead as he rounded up into the sub-entrance. When he reached the top of the stairs in the club he realized that he had lost sight of her in the dim lights. It was as though she had melted away into the dark and vibrant colors that flowed over the floor.

Slowly, he began to traipse around the bar, keeping his gaze forward as he scanned the room in his peripherals. He found long ago that this was one of the most effective ways to notice things that were out of place.

It wasn't very likely that he would actually see her considering she made a living being stealthy, but an interesting thing about Kasumi was she actually had a rather exotic scent. It was something unfamiliar to him and he noticed that none of the other female humans on the Normandy smelled like she did. As such, he simply decided that it was a purely Kasumi scent, and it was something he rather liked.

Minding his limbs as he stepped past a few dancing patrons who had obviously had too much to drink, he settled with his back up against one of the walls. Crossing his arms he bowed his head and gave the room another once over. His vision became a blur of light, shadow and bodies in motion. The heady scent of alcohol filled his nose as an Asari waitress passed by. Time seemed to slow just then as his eyes trained over her shoulder towards the dance floor. He might have missed her amongst the small crowd, if not for those tell-tale movements that set her apart from the standard.

He watched her there for a moment, suspecting she already knew he had seen her. The very same grace that dictated her thievery translated right into her dancing. Every move was smooth and deliberate, and Garrus thought a great deal more interesting to watch than the rollicking of those around her. Slowly, he pressed away from the wall and began to make his way over to her, keeping his body alert in case she planned to flee again. Kasumi made no such attempt as he drew near, but instead brought her hand gently to his and interlaced their fingers.

"What are you doing here?" he asked as she took his other hand and brought him into a slow side step.

"Dancing," she replied with a grin at the obviousness.

"I see that," the turian replied, stealing a glance at her swaying hips. He knew it was probably obvious to her, but he couldn't help it. They were...distracting.

"I was out checking into a lead. Heard you and Shep were making a trip to the markets. Thought I'd say 'hi'." Garrus grinned a little in that perfectly turian way that showed hints of his sharp teeth. Kasumi simply shrugged and continued to smile as she stepped in closer to him, releasing his hands to place her own on his chest. Garrus let his hands hover loose in the air, not entirely sure what he aught to do with them. Preferring not to look like a clueless juvenile, he finally dared to place them on her hips and was happy to see she didn't mind. He studied the shadows on her face that faded away on occasion to reveal the dark color of her eyes. It was a shame she was shrouded more often than not; he'd grown so accustomed to seeing her face. It was a trial to not press the hood back, but when they were in public he knew better than to reveal her visage. Instead, he leaned close and nudged his face to hers, finding that wonderful scent again. Kasumi let her fingers brush over his face, against the edge of his mandibles in the way she'd learned he liked.

The thumping of the music wasn't exactly a match for their more sedate movements, but Garrus didn't care. Once or twice he wondered if it was the club's bass or his heart that was beating through his chest. He thoughtlessly squeezed at the thief's hips when she touched the vulnerable flesh just below jaw plate. For a moment he almost forgot where they were entirely, but when Kasumi's breath exhaled against his opened mouth he suddenly became keenly aware.

He must have stepped away from her a little abruptly because she gave him a startled expression. His jaw worked but no words seemed to come out so he just gave up and closed it again, rubbing the back of his neck as he bowed his head. Kasumi folded her arms over her chest and cocked her hip to one side, tilting her head to look at him.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah, sorry," he said a little too quickly, his panic evident as he waved his hands in front of himself. "I just...remembered Shepard is probably going to be waiting for me."

"Ah, right," Kasumi said, and Garrus felt a shock of embarrassment wrack him as a teasing smile curved her lips. "I'll see you back on the Normandy, then?"

"Sure. Right," he said, waggling a finger at her before turning to go. He stumbled a little into a couple of disgruntled dancers when he whirled back around to approach her again. His hands went up to her shoulders and squeezed as he gave her a tentative head bump. "Be careful with...the lead...you're on." Kasumi did her best not to giggle at how frazzled he seemed and nodded, giving his arms a reassuring pat.

"Always, [love]," she said, rolling the word off her tongue. Garrus nodded and made a hasty and less clumsy exit this time. Kasumi watched him go and shook her head a little, amused at how he could be so entirely suave up until he realized what was going on. She brought a gloved finger up to her lips as she realized this was probably the first time they had been this intimate. They had shared small gestures of affection whenever given the chance, and even when he visited her quarters they remained almost painfully platonic.

She felt a little guilty for making him uncomfortable, but she would be lying if she said she hadn't thought about what the next step might be. Garrus had a certain sort of handsomeness about him if you had a thing for turians. She had never personally thought of her preferences one way or another, but she knew she found him attractive, whether because of love or actual physical desire. Maybe it was the undying curiosity she always seemed to carry, but she wanted to learn more about him. What did he like, how did he feel, and where would those playful little growls that sometimes escaped him lead if they were to go unchecked?

But the last thing she wanted to do was make things awkward between them, and it was very much apparent that the poor turian already felt that to some extent given his reaction. They were both flying blind, she supposed, unsure of where to go from here. As she settled into a nearby booth to order herself a drink, she wondered whimsically if he'd thought of her this way too.

* * *

><p>Garrus was knocking his head lightly against the wall when Shepard found him where she left him. She cocked a brow and approached him, tapping on his shoulder and jumping as he whirled around. When he saw it was her he seemed to relax, but she could tell something was awry.<p>

"Garrus, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," he huffed, looking to the side; a telltale sign he was hiding something. He looked edgy, even more so than normal on Omega. As such, Shepard knew it wasn't going to be the best time to get any information out of him about what was wrong. The turian had a bad habit of clamming up when he was agitated and would only tell her the details once he'd calmed down. He hadn't let her initiate a real conversation for weeks after the whole Sidonis business, so she'd learned to just give him his space.

"Alright," she said. "Let's go."

Garrus nodded, thankful his Commander was not in a prying mood, and also thankful to be heading away from Omega and away from the club.

Spirits, why hadn't be thought about this before? Forget that – how was he going to stop thinking about it now? He'd been floating in his own innocent world with Kasumi this whole time and he hadn't even given consideration to the fact that there might be a physical side to their relationship. Not until just now, anyway, feeling how she moved with his hands on her hips and her fingers on him in the places a human shouldn't even know about! Maybe she didn't even know what she'd been doing and it was all on his end, as embarrassing as that sounded. It made his head hurt, but he admitted to himself that he had started to feel it – that clear and burning _want._ But it made sense, didn't it? He loved her...everything about her, even though he had never thought for a second he could feel such things for a human. Wasn't it only natural that this would follow? She was so familiar and so alien all at once, he thought, and the idea of taking a deeper step with her both thrilled and terrified him.

When he got back to the Normandy he headed straight back to the battery – his personal sanctuary from the curious eyes of the crew. In his head, Kasumi's words from that night where he'd been caught off guard by his own emotions echoed '_Breathe...Just breathe..._"

Once calmed, he sat down on a crate in the corner and thought of Kasumi, the mere idea of her warming him considerably. That was probably a good sign, he thought, and let himself just continue to think of her a bit. He replayed the scene at the club and admitted how nice it had felt in retrospect. It was pleasant in that he hadn't been physical with anyone in a long while, and it only doubled with the fact it was Kasumi. Something about her just soothed him when they were together, and as he let his mind wander to slightly more intimate things, he realized nothing had changed about that.

Rather, she was soothing, but in a different way. One thing was still an issue, though, as he found trouble trying to picture much more beyond simple caresses. He had nothing but a very basic idea of human structure and that was a concern. And since he didn't feel brash enough to ask her if he could take a look, he decided some research might be in order. If this was truly going to happen, whether now or down the line, spontaneous or planned, he wanted to be ready. Though...he wasn't sure he'd ever be _entirely _ready.

It was easy to feel intimated by the very idea of all this. But when Garrus thought of wrapping his arms around Kasumi, bare and vulnerable, feeling and smelling nothing but all that was purely her, he knew he wanted nothing more.


End file.
